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Junior Entrepreneur Training [JET] members are readying for their first business venture at Saturday’s Made in Monmouth Expo at Monmouth University.

The group’s 17 middle school-aged students, who were divided into two groups, will sell their handmade chocolate covered treats and fashion forward tees during the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. annual vendor event.

And while their road to success was launched in November, they’ve spent the past 12-weeks brainstorming, creating business plans and product testing their offerings.

Last week the groups vied for funding in a “Shark Tank” like competition, hosted by Interfaith Neighbors, at the Senior Citizen’s Center on Springwood Avenue.

The judges included Councilwoman Yvonne Clayton; Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten co-owner Jennifer Lampert; New Life Barber Shop and Salon owner Isaac Jones; Interfaith Neighbors associate director Paul McEvily; and former mayor and Mr. Fashion owner Carl Williams.

“I would say to anyone that is available, please go out and support our wonderful young people,” Councilwoman Yvonne Clayton said. “They are going to be competing with businesses from all over Monmouth County and we’re talking about adults, and these are our youth.”

Team Dip-o-Licious, who proposed chocolate covered strawberries, gummy bears and churros assembled in hand-crafted origami boxes at $2.50 price point, asked their ‘Shark’ judges for $125 startup capital.

“Our calculations were based on the loan amount we requested,” Ann-Ysabelle Flynn said. “We figured out our production costs and based our figures off of that.”

Team SWEG [Shirts With Extra Greatness], who opted for personalized T-shirts that could feature an emoji or unique piece of art, requested a $190 loan and projected a $360 gross profit and $170 profit.

And while the Asbury ‘Shark’ judges opted to increase the loan requests to $150 and $200, respectively, it was a community of volunteers who readied the young entrepreneurs for business.

The JET program is the brainchild of Asbury Park’s West Side Citizens United president Frank Syphax. It is based on Rider University’s Minding Our Business program that’s worked with over 3,000 Trenton middle school students since 1997. Syphax’s son Tracey is that program’s chairman of board.

“Entrepreneurship training is not just [about] someone that’s taking care of a business,” Syphax told the City Council Wednesday night. “It’s encouraging creative thinking, promoting a strong sense of self with accountability, and the stability to recognize opportunities in one’s life…”

A $30,000 award from the state department’s Office of Faith Based Initiatives helped fund the program.

Students were recruited from Asbury Park Middle School, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Sisters Academy, and the Big Brother Big Sister program which included a student from Hope Academy Charter School, said Nancy Shields, Interfaith Neighbors spokesperson.

They include: Johana Audelo-Riano, Avant Barnes, Jensine Benoit, Daniela Carpio, Brayan Castillo, Candice Christie, Daniele Delgado, Xavier Etienne-McLeod, Ann-Ysabelle Flynn, Juquan Grier, Carlie Herrera, Oscar Limon, Diana Ramos, Luis Cruz Romero, Nalah Tinsley, Micah Wright, and Eddeja Watts.

Volunteer mentors included high tech entrepreneur Charles Simmons of Freehold, who is the program’s volunteer director; FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties’ food sourcing manager Mychal Mills; Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County executive director Doug Eagles; and Robert Weiner, a member of Monmouth SCORE, which provides free counseling to small business owners.

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